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Excalibur
The Excalibur was one of two prototype ships built for the joint Earth/Minbar Destroyer class White Star project.Movements of Fire and Shadow After its sister ship Victory was destroyed, the Excalibur was refitted as a deep-range military research vessel to help search for a cure to the Drakh plague.A Call to ArmsThe Memory of War Development The vessel was designed in cooperation by the Minbari Federation and the Earth Alliance, using both races' most advanced technology as well as loosely-based Vorlon technology that the Minbari had used in the Whitestar class of ship. By arrangement, Minbar provided the design specifications and materials while Earth handled construction and financed the project in exchange for all of the advanced technical expertise they'd gain. The prototypes themselves were intended to be given to the Anla'Shok as the first in a new fleet of destroyers to bolster the existing White Star fleet.Movements of Fire and Shadow Capabilities In its time, the Victory was the most advanced starship built by any of the younger races and features some of the most formidable weapons and defenses seen since the departure of the First Ones. While the secondary weapons are mostly an upgraded version of the fusion beams found on the Whitestars, the Victory's primary guns are an extremely powerful beam which releases a massive energy discharge capable of immense destruction. However the power requirements of the weapon are such that once fired it will shut down most primary systems, except for communications and life support, for a full minute leaving the ship vulnerable until the power reserve can be rebuilt. The defensive systems on this ship are quite capable as the plasteel/crystalline armour is able to deflect/refract over 80% of all the energy directed at the hull. The ship is propelled by gravitational engines that can accelerate the ship up to .75c and as with Minbari vessels, allows the ship to create an internal gravity field slightly less than 1G which negates the need for rotating sections.To the Ends of The Earth History left|150px Battle To Save Earth Built alongside its sister ship at a shipyard overseen by Michael Garibaldi and Samuel Drake the Excalibur was the culmination of a joint ISA/EA project to produce a Destroyer class White Star. In late 2266, President John Sheridan took a tour of the nearly complete Excalibur. During the shakedown cruise, the Excalibur suffered engine troubles, but was towed by twelve crew shuttles to the weapons test range. President Sheridan returned in the [[EAS Charon|EAS Charon]], and took command of the vessel with crewmembers from the Charon becoming a part of the Excalibur's crew. The Excalibur and the Victory, which was under the command of Captain Leonard Anderson, formerly the commander of the Charon, went to Daltron VII. The Excalibur and the Victory discovered that the planet was devastated by a Death Cloud in the hands of the Drakh. The Excalibur and the Victory engaged a Drakh scouting force. The Excalibur followed the Drakh vessels to the main staging area of the Drakh Fleet. The Excalibur returned to the Victory and both vessels escaped into Hyperspace. The Excalibur and the Victory joined a large force at Earth in preparation against the Drakh. The Excalibur was heavily damaged at the Drakh attack of Earth, and witnessed the Drakh releasing a plague in the atmosphere of Earth. Afterward, the Excalibur went to Babylon 5 and was repaired with research labs added to help find a cure for the Drakh plague. Locating A Cure Shortly after the plague was released, ISA President John Sheridan loaned the ship to the Earth Alliance to be converted into a travelling research centre for a joint mission to find a cure for the Drakh plague somewhere in uncharted space. The mission was co-sponsored by Earthgov, Interplanetary Expeditions, the Earth Alliance Health Organization and the Interstellar Alliance with support from the Anla'shok. By March 2267, the Excalibur crew were able to develop an anti-virus which could allow people to walk among those who are infected for up to 48 hours.The Memory of War The Excalibur was eventually successful in stopping the Drakh plague and by 2271, it had been completely eradicated.Legions of Fire Book III: Out of the Darkness, p.68Final Reckoning - The Fate of Bester, p.13 Locations Bridge Map room Conference room Medbay Gymnasium Launch Bay Crew Senior Crew Junior Crew Other Crewmembers Gallery Image:Victory and Excalibur.JPG|The Victory and the Excalibur in the shipyard Image:Excalibur at Earth.JPG|The Excalibur at the Battle of Earth Image:Excalibur at Babylon 5.JPG|The Excalibur in refit over Babylon 5. Image:Excalibur Main Gun.jpg|The Excalibur firing its level 2 weapon. References Category:Ships Category:ISA Ships Category:Earthforce ships